Improved transit service on its way for Sea to Sky corridor

District of Squamish, Electoral Area C, Electoral Area D, Resort Municipality of Whistler, Village of Pemberton

From the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

Plans are in motion to explore improved transit service for the Sea to Sky corridor—a growing region that the B.C. government has identified as a priority area for expansion.

"As the population along the Sea to Sky corridor continues to increase, our transit services must keep pace,"said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone. "Government recognizes there is room for improvement to better service this area, and we are committed to working with local governments, First Nations and the public to ensure the plans we put forward reflect the needs of the community."

BC Transit has formed a working group with representatives from local government and First Nations to explore opportunities for new transit service that will connect communities along the Sea to Sky corridor. The input from this group complements the recently completed BC Transit Sea to Sky Transit Future Plan, which identified new and expanded regional and interregional transit services as a high need for the area.

MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, Jordan Sturdy, will now feed into the working group and directly engage elected officials along the corridor to support the work BC Transit, the local governments and First Nations have been doing. This work will be supported by an online engagement survey, launching on Friday, Oct. 21, as well as in-person public sessions that will be held over the next few months.

"I am pleased to collaborate with mayors and First Nations leaders to bring government's perspective to the table while listening to ideas and partaking in discussons that will ultimately form the blueprint for this work," said Sturdy. "Not only is this expansion imperative for the community, but it will stimulate and support tourism for this popular destination just a short distance from the Metro Vancouver area."

In light of the tremendous growth the region has experienced over the past few years, along with an increase in tourism, a focus on interconnectivity between Metro Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler, the Pemberton Valley and surrounding regions will be at the forefront of plans. This is also one of the key goals in BC on the Move - the province's 10-year transportation plan to foster economic development and provide more transit and travel choices for British Columbians.

"There is incredible opportunity to boost local and regional economies through the introduction of better public transit," said Patricia Heintzman, District of Squamish mayor. "With our increased interconnectedness with Vancouver, regional transit up and down the corridor will play a key role in getting cars off the highway and ensuring there are affordable transportation options to visitors and locals. I'm looking forward to working with the partners to make some progress on this issue."

"Improving transit service throughout the Sea to Sky corridor will help to reduce traffic congestion and support tourism, as the region experiences growth," said Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. "Whistler strongly supports these plans moving forward to make transit service more accessible to both residents and visitors."

Input from the public will play an important role in formulating these plans and as such, BC Transit and the government will launch an online engagement survey in addition to holding follow-up in-person public-engagement sessions over the next few months.

"We are commited to consulting with Sea to Sky residents to ensure their input is a key driver behind any plans for improved transit services," said BC Transit CEO Manuel Achadinha. "The working group will be extremely interested in what residents have to say about potential service expansions and how to best facilitate interconnectivity along the corridor."

For detailed information about when and how to participate in the public engagement sessionsand the online survey, go to: https://bctransit.com/seatosky

Welcome to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

Located in southwestern BC, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is a local government federation delivering a range of regional, sub-regional and local services to approximately 42,665 residents living in four member municipalities (Lillooet, Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish) and four unincorporated electoral areas (A, B, C, D).